Methods and apparatus to facilitate user interactions with foldable displays

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatus to facilitate user interactions with foldable displays are disclosed. A computing device includes a foldable display having a first region, a second region, and a bendable region between the first and second regions. The computing devices includes a hover sensing system associated with the bendable region to detect a hover event, and a touch sensing system associated with at least one of the first region or the second region to detect a touch event. The computing device further includes an operations controller to implement an action on the computing device responsive to at least one of the hover event or the touch event.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates generally to foldable displays, and, moreparticularly, to methods and apparatus to facilitate user interactionswith foldable displays.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, computing devices with foldable displays have beendeveloped that enable a display to be folded into differentconfigurations (e.g., two halves of a display may be folded on top ofeach other). Foldable displays enable relatively large display screenswithout compromising portability of the associated computing device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-4 show an example computing device with a foldable displayconstructed in accordance with teachings disclosed herein.

FIGS. 5-7 are cross-sectional views of the bendable portion of theexample computing device of FIGS. 1-4 in different configurations.

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of example control chips used tocontrol the display of the example computing device of FIGS. 1-7.

FIGS. 9-10 illustrate another example computing device with a foldabledisplay constructed in accordance with teachings disclosed herein.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an implementation of an exampledisplay control system for the example computing devices of FIGS. 1-10.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart representative of example machine readableinstructions which may be executed to implement the example displaycontrol system of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an example processing platform structuredto execute the instructions of FIG. 12 to implement the example displaycontrol system of FIG. 11

The figures are not to scale. Instead, the thickness of the layers orregions may be enlarged in the drawings. In general, the same referencenumbers will be used throughout the drawing(s) and accompanying writtendescription to refer to the same or like parts. As used in this patent,stating that any part (e.g., a layer, film, area, region, or plate) isin any way on (e.g., positioned on, located on, disposed on, or formedon, etc.) another part, indicates that the referenced part is either incontact with the other part, or that the referenced part is above theother part with one or more intermediate part(s) located therebetween.Connection references (e.g., attached, coupled, connected, and joined)are to be construed broadly and may include intermediate members betweena collection of elements and relative movement between elements unlessotherwise indicated. As such, connection references do not necessarilyinfer that two elements are directly connected and/or in fixed relationto each other. Stating that any part is in “contact” with another partindicates that there is no intermediate part between the two parts.Although the figures show layers and regions with clean lines andboundaries, some or all of these lines and/or boundaries may beidealized. In reality, the boundaries and/or lines may be unobservable,blended, and/or irregular.

Descriptors “first,” “second,” “third,” etc. are used herein whenidentifying multiple elements or components which may be referred toseparately. Unless otherwise specified or understood based on theircontext of use, such descriptors are not intended to impute any meaningof priority, physical order or arrangement in a list, or ordering intime but are merely used as labels for referring to multiple elements orcomponents separately for ease of understanding the disclosed examples.In some examples, the descriptor “first” may be used to refer to anelement in the detailed description, while the same element may bereferred to in a claim with a different descriptor such as “second” or“third.” In such instances, such descriptors are used merely for ease ofreferencing multiple elements or components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-4 show an example computing device 100 with a foldable orbendable display 102 constructed in accordance with teachings disclosedherein. As used herein, the terms “foldable” and “bendable” used withreference to a display are interchangeable and indicate that differentportions of the display are capable of being repeatedly adjustedrelative to one another as the display is bent, folded, or curved aboutat least one axis without damage to the display. In other words, a“foldable” or “bendable” display includes a portion that has a variableradius of curvature that can be manipulated. The particular radius ofcurvature of the fold or bend may be of any suitable dimension (e.g., 5inches, 1 inch, 0.1 inches, 0.01 inches, etc.). In some examples, thedisplay 102 may be folded inward such that the radius of curvaturedefines a concave surface. In other examples, the display 102 may befolded outward such that the radius of curvature defines a convexsurface. In other examples, the display 102 may be folded both inwardsand outwards. As used herein, “display,” “screen,” and “display screen”have the same meaning and refer to a structure to visibly convey animage, text, and/or other visual content to a human in response to anelectrical control signal.

The example computing device 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is in anunfolded or opened configuration with the display in an unfolded state.The device 100 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is in a folded configuration withthe display in an example folded state. As used herein, the terms“unfolded configuration” and “opened configuration” indicates thedisplay 102 is in an unfolded state in which a foldable region of thedisplay is opened with the radius of curvature at the folding locationbeing at a maximum. In some examples, the unfolded state of the display102 corresponds to when the display 102 is in a flat state when anentirety of the user facing surface of the display 102 lies in a commonplane. However, some example devices may not have a flat state (e.g.,devices with curved displays that may nevertheless be folded todiffering non-planar positions). The display 102 of such a device is inan unfolded state when the display 102 is fully opened (thoughpotentially with a curved display) with the radius of curvature of anybendable portion at a maximum. By contrast, the term “foldedconfiguration” indicates the display 102 is in the folded state in whichthe radius of curvature within a foldable region of the display 102 isless than its maximum possible radius of curvature. In examples wherethe display 102 is flat in the unfolded configuration, the display 102is in a folded state when at least two different portions of the userfacing surface of the display 102 are non-coplanar relative to oneanother.

As shown in the illustrated example of FIG. 1, the display 102 includestwo similarly sized display areas 104, 106 corresponding to separatehalves of the display 102 divided by a central fold line 108 along whichthe display 102 may be folded (e.g., a line define a location where theradius of curvature of the display 102 may be adjusted). The twoseparate display areas 104, 106 (and, thus, the full display 102) may beany suitable size and have any suitable dimensions. In some examples,the dimensions of the display areas 104, 106 and/or the full display 102are dimensioned to have a standard aspect ratio. For example, eachdisplay area 104, 106 may have a 4:3 aspect ratio, which results in a3:2 aspect ratio for the full display 102. As a specific example, adiagonal dimension 110 for each of the two display areas 104, 106 may beapproximately 12 inches and a diagonal dimension 112 of the full display102 when in the unfolded configuration is approximately 17.3 inches.

In the illustrated example, each half of the display 102 (e.g., thedisplay areas 104, 106) have a standard aspect ratio to facilitate thedisplay of user interfaces designed specifically for such aspect ratios.Thus, as shown in the illustrated example, of FIG. 2, a first userinterface 114 is rendered in the first display area 104 and a seconduser interface 116 is rendered in the second display area 106. In otherexamples, a single user interface may fill the entire display 102according to the aspect ratio of the full screen. In other examples, auser interface may be rendered within a portion of one of the displayareas 104, 106 and/or extend across the fold line 108 to cover at leasta portion of each display area 104, 106. Further, the user interfacesrendered via the display may be provided in different orientations. Forinstance, in the illustrated example of FIGS. 2 and 3, the userinterfaces 114, 116 are side-by-side with a long edge 118 of the display102 running parallel with the top of the user interfaces 114, 116. Inother examples, the user interfaces 114, 116 may be rotated by 90degrees with one interface above the other such that a short edge 120 ofthe display 102 runs parallel with the top of the user interfaces. Insome examples, as described more fully below in connection with FIG. 8,the content rendered via the first display area 104 (e.g., the firstuser interface 114) is controlled independent of the content renderedvia the second display area 106 (e.g., the second user interface 116).Although the content rendered via each display area 104, 106 may becontrolled independently, in some examples, the content on both displayareas 104, 106 is synched to enable the rendering of content thatseamlessly extends across both display areas 104, 106.

In the illustrated example of FIGS. 1-4, the computing device 100includes a housing 122 that includes a first rigid portion 124associated with the first display area 104 of the display 102 and asecond rigid portion 126 associated with the second display area 106 ofthe display 102. In this example, the rigid portions 124, 126 areseparated by a bendable portion 128 along which the fold line 108extends. In the illustrated example, the bendable portion 128 includespart of the first display area 104 and part of the second display area106 such that content may be displayed on some or all of the bendableportion 128.

In this example, the display 102 is affixed to and/or otherwisesupported by the rigid portions 124, 126 of the device 100. As a result,in some examples, the display 102 cannot be folded within the rigidportions 124, 126 of the device 100 because these portions of thehousing 122 are rigid and, thus, cannot be folded. That is, in someexamples, the material of the display 102 may be bendable but it isprevented from being bent because it is affixed to the rigid(non-bendable) portions 124, 126 of the housing 122. By contrast, inthis example, the display 102 is bendable or foldable within thebendable portion 128 based on the bendable nature of the associatedportion of the housing 122. In some examples, the bendable portion 128of the computing device 100 includes hinges and/or bendable materials toenable the folding and/or bending of the display 102 within the bendableportion 128 of the device.

In some examples, the width of the bendable portion 128 is significantlysmaller than represented in the illustrated example. In other examples,the width of the bendable portion 128 is larger than shown. In someexamples, the entire display 102 is bendable such that there are norigid portions 124, 126 associated with the display. In some examples,the outer edges of the bendable portion 128 correspond to the limits ofthe portion of the display 102 (and associated housing 122) that iscapable of bending. In other examples, the bendable portion 128 mayextend beyond the limits of the bendable portion of the display 102 toinclude portions of the display that cannot be folded (e.g., due tobeing affixed to rigid sections of the housing 122).

The computing device 100 of the illustrated example may be moved from anunfolded configuration as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to one or moredifferent folded configurations as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In someexamples, the folded configurations may include any suitable anglebetween the rigid portions 124, 126 of the display 102. For instance, insome examples, the bendable portion 128 may be sufficiently bendable tofold the first rigid portion 124 of the device 100 onto the second rigidportion 126 of the device 100 such that the first and second displayareas 104, 106 of the display 102 face one another with their outeredges aligned. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, thedisplay 102 and housing 122 may bend backwards such that the rigid firstand second display areas 104, 106 face outwards and away from eachother.

In addition to bending the computing device 100 into different foldedconfigurations, in some examples, the orientation of user interfacesrendered on the display 102 may differ depending on the orientation ofthe device 100 and its corresponding folded configuration. For example,FIG. 3 illustrates the computing device 100 folded and oriented in abook configuration with the same user interfaces 114, 116 shown in FIG.2 rendered side-by-side with a top of the user interfaces extendingparallel to the long edge 118 of the display 102. By contrast, FIG. 4illustrates the computing device 100 folded and oriented in a laptopconfiguration with a third user interface 402 extending across bothdisplay areas 104, 106 with the top being parallel with the short edge120 of the display 102. In this example, the third user interface 402 isan application user interface associated with an application executed onthe device 100. Further, as shown in the illustrated example, theapplication user interface 402 is contained within a window inside of anoperating system user interface 404 rendered to fill the rest of thedisplay 102.

In some examples, the bendable portion 128 of the computing device 100may be positioned at different locations and/or oriented in a differentdirection than what is shown in the illustrated examples of FIGS. 1-4.For instance, in some examples, the bendable portion 128 may not becentered on the display 102 such that the fold line 108 does not dividethe screen in half. In some examples the bendable portion 128 may extendlengthwise across the device 100 in a direction that is rotated 90degrees relative to the crosswise orientation shown in FIG. 1. In otherexamples, the bendable portion 128 may extend at a different anglerelative to the device 100. Further, in some examples, the location ofthe fold line 108 may be at different locations within the bendableportion 128 (e.g., other than at the very center). In some examples, theposition of the fold line 108 relative to the boundaries of bendableportion 128 may be adjusted or selected by a user. This is possible whenthe radius of curvature of a fold in the display 102 is less than thewidth of the bendable portion 128. Furthermore, in some examples, theremay be more than one bendable portion 128 and/or more than one fold line108 to enable the display 102 to bend in multiple directions and/or atmultiple locations. In some such examples, ones of the multipledifferent fold lines 108 correspond to a portion of the display 102 thatbends or folds inward and other ones of the multiple fold lines 108correspond to a portion of the display 102 that bends or folds outward.In other examples, the multiple different fold lines 108 may correspondto portions of the display 102 that bend in the same direction (bothinward, both outward, or each capable of bending both inward andoutward).

The example display 102 of FIGS. 1-4 is a touchscreen. Providing touchsensitive functionality on a bendable display presents a number ofchallenges. For instance, to enable the display 102 to freely bend, thedisplay may need to be detached from the underlying structure of thehousing 122. As a result, the touchscreen 102 within the bendableportion 128 of the computing device 100 may be unsupported in thatregion as shown in the cross-sectional views of the device 100 shown inFIGS. 5 and 6. In particular, FIG. 5 shows the device in an unfoldedconfiguration while FIG. 6 shows the device 100 folded into a foldedconfiguration. As shown in the illustrated examples, the display 102 issupported by and/or affixed to an underlying rigid structure 502associated with the housing 122 in the rigid portions 124, 126 of thedevice 100. By contrast, in the illustrated example, the display 102 isseparated from an underlying bendable structure 504 within the bendableportion 128 of the device 100. The bendable portion 128 of theillustrated example is shown as corresponding to the width of theunderlying bendable structure 504. While this corresponds to the portionof the device 100 that is capable of bending, as mentioned above, insome examples, the bendable portion 128 may be defined to includeadditional portions of the display 102 that cannot bend (e.g.,associated with portions of the underlying rigid structure 502).

In the illustrated example, the separation of the display 102 and theunderlying bendable structure 504 within the bendable portion 128results in a gap 506 beneath the display 102 that may be up to 30 mmwide or more depending on the bend radius of the fold in the display. Asa result, when an end user touches the touchscreen 102 in the bendableportion 128, there is the risk of the user pressing too hard on theunsupported screen, thereby causing damage to the screen. Additionallyor alternatively, in some examples, a user pressing on the touchscreen102 within the bendable portion 128 of the device 100 may press againstand potentially damage the hinge mechanism built into the underlyingbendable structure 504. In some examples, the hinge mechanism built intothe underlying bendable structure 504 may ensure the gap 506 isnegligible and/or non-existent. However, the hinge mechanism may stillnot provide the same amount of support as is possible in the rigidportions 124, 126 of the device 100. In some examples, the hingemechanism built into the underlying bendable structure 504 may provideadequate support to the display 102 (e.g., reduce the gap 506 to anegligible or non-existent state) when the device 100 is in the unfoldedconfiguration but not provide adequate support when the device 100 is ina folded configuration. In all of these scenarios, the lack of adequatesupport to the display 102 and/or the separation of the display 102 fromthe underlying bendable structure 504 presents an increased risk ofdamage to the components as a user touches the display 102 (as atouchscreen) to interact with content rendered on the display.Accordingly, there is a need to enable users to interact with contentwithin the bendable portion of the touchscreen 102 while protecting thetouchscreen 102 from damage and/or reducing the frequency and/orpressure with which the touchscreen 102 is touched by users, therebyreducing the risk of damage to the display.

Another challenge with foldable touchscreens arises in situations wherethe radius of curvature of a particular fold is relatively small. FIG. 7illustrates the example computing device 100 with a fold in the displayhaving a much smaller radius of curvature than in FIG. 6. If the radiusof curvature is less than the size of an object used to touch thedisplay (e.g., a user's finger 702 as shown in FIG. 7), the user may notbe able to precisely touch a certain point on the display 102 that iswithin the bendable portion 128. In some examples, the user may not beable to touch the desired point within the bendable portion 128 at allbecause the object (e.g., finger 702) is obstructed by contact with theflat portions of the display on either side of the fold. Such asituation sometimes also results in two points of contact on thetouchscreen (one on either side of the fold), thereby creating ambiguityin where the user is intending to touch the display.

Examples disclosed herein overcome the above and other challenges byproviding hover sensing capabilities within the bendable portion 128 ofthe touchscreen 102. As used herein, a touchscreen that is capable of“hover sensing” is able to detect the presence of an object (e.g., auser's finger, a stylus, etc.) that is within a threshold distance(e.g., as much as 2 inches) of the display without the object touchingthe display (e.g., spaced apart from but hovering in proximity to thedisplay). The more sensitive the hover sensing system, the greater thethreshold distance at which objects may be detected. While a hoversensing system is capable of detecting hovering objects such hoversensing systems may also detect objects that are in physical contactwith or negligibly spaced apart from (e.g., less than 0.1 inches awayfrom) the display. Sensing systems for touchscreens that are limited todetecting objects in actual contact with the touchscreen are referred toherein as touch sensing systems. Both hover sensing systems andtouch/contact system are capable of detecting the location of the objectrelative to the display.

Enabling hover sensing within the region of the touchscreen 102associated with the bendable portion 128, as in the illustrated example,enables a user to interact with the display without having to touch thedisplay, thereby reducing the risk that the display, the hingemechanism, and/or other components within the bendable portion 128 willbe damaged from contact. Further, hover sensing in the illustratedexample enables a user to effectively reach and/or interact with contentwithin the bendable region even when the user is unable to preciselytouch the content because of a relatively small radius of curvature forthe fold.

While some examples provide the entire display 102 with hover sensingcapabilities, such examples add costs to manufacturing the device 100and also increase processing and power requirements for the operation ofthe device 100. Accordingly, in some examples, the display 102 includesa hybrid hover and touch sensing system in which the regions of thetouchscreen 102 outside of the bendable portion 128 (e.g., in the rigidportions 124, 126) does not include hover sensing capabilities. Rather,such regions of the touchscreen 102 include typical touch sensingcapability (e.g., require actual contact with the display and/or requireobjects to be within a negligible distance (e.g., 0.1 inches or less) ofthe display). In some examples, the hover sensing system is incorporatedinto and/or integrated with the touch sensing system associated with thetouchscreen 102. In other examples, the hover sensing system may beimplemented separately from and/or independently of the touch sensingsystem of the touchscreen 102. More particularly, the touch sensitivefunctionality of the touchscreen 102 may be implemented using anysuitable technology including resistive, capacitive (e.g., surfacecapacitive or projected capacitive), acoustic, and/or infrared basedsensing technologies. While all of these technologies may be suitable toimplement a touch sensing system, only some of them are also presentlycapable of hover sensing (e.g., detecting objects beyond a negligibledistance as noted above). For instance, resistive touch sensing requiresthe application of pressure (e.g., via the force of a physical touch) onthe touchscreen such that resistive touching techniques cannot detect anobject hovering a short distance away from the display. By contrast,capacitive touch sensing is accomplished by detecting changes incapacitance between two electrodes caused by a conductive or dielectricmaterial coming into close proximity with the electrodes. Where theelectrodes and/or the associated sensors are sufficiently sensitive, theobject may be detected without direct contact with the touchscreenbecause the object will affect the electric field produced between theelectrodes. As such, a capacitive sensor system that is constructed withrelatively high sensitivity may be used for hover sensing.

Regardless of the particular technology implemented, touch and hoversensing is often implemented with a two dimensional grid or array ofelectrodes positioned across the region(s) of the display where touchsensing and/or hover sensing is to be enabled. More particularly, asshown in the illustrated example of FIG. 8, the touchscreen 102 includesmultiple columns of transmitters 802, 804 that extend perpendicularly tomultiple rows of receivers 806. In the illustrated example of FIG. 8,only a few of the transmitters 802, 804 and the receivers 806 are shownfor the sake of clarity. Further, the transmitters 802, 804 and thereceivers 806 are significantly enlarged in FIG. 8 for purposes ofexplanation. In the illustrated example, the transmitters 802 within thebendable portion 128 of the device 100 are represented with differentshading than the transmitters 804 within the rigid portions 124, 126 ofthe device 100 to indicate the different purpose, design, construction,and/or operation of the transmitters in the different regions. Moreparticularly, in some examples, the transmitters 802 within the bendableportion 128 of the device 100 are constructed to be relatively sensitiveso as to enable hover sensing. Thus, the transmitters 802 within thebendable portion 128 may be referred to herein as hover sensingtransmitters and form part of a hover sensing system 808 of the display102. By contrast, the transmitters 804 within the rigid portions 124,126 are constructed to provide touch sensing capabilities without hoversensing. Thus, the transmitters 804 within the bendable portion 128 maybe referred to herein as touch sensing transmitters and form part of atouch sensing system 810 of the display 102. As mentioned above, in someexamples, touch sensing transmitters 804 may be included within thebendable portion 128 independent of the hover sensing transmitters 802.In other examples, the hover sensing transmitters 802 may serve as touchsensing transmitters for the touch sensing system 810 within thebendable portion 128.

As shown in the illustrated example of FIG. 8, the receivers 806associated with the first display area 104 of the touchscreen 102 areseparate from the receivers 806 associated with the second display area106 of the touchscreen 102 due to a small break or interruption at thecentral fold line 108. In other words, individual ones of the receivers806 do not extend the full way across the display but only across eitherthe first display area 104 or the second display area 106. Dividing thereceivers 806 between the first display area 104 and the second displayarea 106 enables each area to be scanned independently for touch eventsand/or hover events, thereby reducing the processing time to detect suchevents. In other examples, the receivers 806 may extend across theentire touchscreen 102 without interruption to implement a single scanof the entire display 102 for touch events and/or hover events. As usedherein, a “touch event” refers to the touch sensing system (and/or thehover sensing system) detecting an object (e.g., a user's finger, astylus, etc.) touching a particular point on the touchscreen 102. Asused herein, a “hover event” refers to the hover sensing system (e.g.,associated with the bendable portion 128) detecting an object (e.g., auser's finger, a stylus, etc.) in close proximity to (e.g., within thethreshold distance discussed above though not necessarily touching) aparticular point on the touchscreen 102.

In some examples, the independent processing of the touch and/or hoversensing systems associated with the first and second display areas 104,106 is accomplished based on the implementation of separate first andsecond touchscreen controller chips or touch ICs 812, 814 oncorresponding first and second touch flexible printed circuits (FPCs)816, 818. Further, in some examples, the rendering of content on each ofthe first and second display areas 104, 106 is controlled independent ofeach other based on separate first and second display drivers 820, 822(e.g., separate timing controllers (T-cons)) disposed on correspondingfirst and second display FPCs 824, 826. Thus, in some examples, both thecontrol and detection of user interactions with the two display areas104, 106 as well as the control of content rendered via the displayareas 104, 106 are handled independent of one another. In this example,with reference to FIG. 2, the first display driver 820 controls thedisplay of the first user interface 114 in the first display area 104and the second display driver 820 controls the display of the seconduser interface 116 in the second display area 106. In some examples,both the first and second display drivers are in communication with asystem-on-chip 828 and/or other host processor for the computing device100. Independently controlling the touch and sensing systems in eachdisplay area 104, 106 and independently controlling the display ofcontent in each display area in this manner can increase processorefficiency.

Although two touch ICs 812, 814 and two display drivers 820, 822 areshown in the illustrated example of FIG. 8, in other examples, more orfewer touch ICs and/or display drivers may be implemented. For instance,in some examples, a single touch IC may control the hover and touchingsensing for the entire touchscreen 102. Further, in some examples, asingle display driver may control the display of content rendered acrossthe entire area of the touchscreen 102.

In some examples, the content rendered for display on the touchscreen102 is adapted within the bendable portion 128 to facilitate a user tointeract with the content using the hover sensing system described aboveand to reduce the likelihood of the user touching the display in thatregion in a manner that may damage the device 100. In particular, insome examples, a visual notification is generated on the touchscreen 102when a hover event has been detected to inform the user that theirfinger, stylus, or other object used to interact with the display hasbeen detected. In this manner, a user can determine that they do notneed to move any closer to the display and risk causing damage. In someexamples, the visual notification is a static visual indicator that isprovided independent of the location where the hover event is detected.In other examples, as shown in FIG. 4, the visual notification includesa visual marker 406 (e.g., a circle, a halo, an “x”, a crosshair, a dot,a magnifying bubble, etc.) rendered at the location where the hoverevent is detected. In some such examples, the marker may move (asindicated by the arrows) within the bendable portion 128 based onmovement of the object detected in connection with the hover event. Inthis manner, a user not only is informed that they are sufficientlyclose to the display to interact with the rendered content, but the useris also informed of the particular location on the display with whichthe hover sensing system is associating the detected hover event. Insome examples, the visual marker 406 may be application specific. Thatis, in some examples, the visual marker 406 is generated in connectionwith the particular application for which the application user interface402 on the display 102 in FIG. 4 is generated. In other examples, thevisual marker 406 may be generated by the underlying operating system tobe displayed regardless of the user interface associated with aparticular application executing on the device 100.

In some examples, other types of notifications may be generated toinform a user that a hover event has been detected. For example, thedevice 100 may vibrate and/or provide different haptic feedback inresponse to the detection of hover event. Additionally or alternatively,an audible notification may be generated in response to a hover event.

Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the appearance ofcontent rendered on the display 102 within the bendable portion 128 maydiffer from content in the rigid portions 124, 126 regardless of whethera hover even has been detected. For instance, the operating system userinterface 404 of FIG. 4 includes a series of icons 408 that extendacross the bendable portion 128. As shown in the illustrated example,the icon 410 within the bendable portion 128 is rendered to appear morethree-dimensional (3D) than the other icons 408 to convey the idea thata user does not need to actually touch the surface of the display 102 toselect the particular icon 410. In other examples, the icon 410 withinthe bendable portion 128 may differ in appearance in a manner other thana 3D-like effect. Furthermore, such changes in appearance are notlimited to icons but may apply to any type and/or portion of contentrendered on the display 102.

In some examples, particular user interactions with the display maybegin in one of the rigid portions 124, 126 of the display 102 and crossinto the bendable portion 128 or vice versa. As an example, the thirduser interface 402 shown in FIG. 4 includes a scrollbar 412 that extendsbetween the first and second display areas 104, 106 across the bendableportion 128. A user may seek to select the scrollbar slider 414 and dragit all the way down to the bottom of the scrollbar 412. To initiallyselect the slider 414, the user may touch the display 102 (with a fingeror stylus) at the location of the slider 414 and continue touching thedisplay while dragging the slider 414 down the scrollbar. Dragging theslider 414 all the way to the bottom of the scrollbar 412 using only atouch sensing system, would require the user to continuously touch thedisplay through the bendable portion 128. This may result in damage tothe display as described above because the display may be less supportedwithin the bendable portion 128. Furthermore, in some examples,particularly, where the bend radius is relatively small, the user maynot be able to maintain a continuous point of contact with thetouchscreen 102. These problems are overcome by invoking the hoversensing system 808 within the bendable portion 128. Even if the useruses a light touch or even momentarily ceases to touch the display 102as the bendable portion 128 is traversed, the system will interpret theuser interaction as one continuous motion to control the slider 414through the bendable portion of the display 102.

In some examples, to facilitate the transition from the touch sensingsystem 810 within the rigid portions 124, 126 and the hover sensingsystem 808 in the bendable portion 128, the hover sensing system 808 isgiven priority over the touch sensing system 810. That is, when a hoverevent has been detected, user interactions with the touchscreen 102 maybe governed by rules associated with hover-based inputs that do notrequire continuous contact with the display for a single user inputand/or interaction. On the other hand, if no hover event is detected,the user interactions with the touchscreen 102 may be governed by rulesassociated with touch-based inputs in which each touch and release isinterpreted as an independent user input and/or interaction.

FIGS. 9-10 illustrate another example foldable display computing device900 with a foldable display 902 constructed in accordance with teachingsdisclosed herein. More particularly, FIG. 9 shows the device 900 in anunfolded configuration and FIG. 10 shows the device 900 folded into afolded configuration with a bendable portion 904 separating first andsecond rigid portions 906, 908. The display 902 includes a first displayarea 910 associated with the first rigid portion 906, a second displayarea 912 associated with a second rigid portion 908, and a third displayarea 914 associated with the bendable portion 904. In some examples,similar to the display 102 of FIGS. 1-8, the first and second displayareas 910, 912 of FIG. 9 have a standard aspect ratio (e.g., a 4:3aspect ratio). However, unlike the display 102 of FIG. 108, the firstand second display areas 910, 912 of FIG. 9 do not extend into thebendable portion 904 or up to a central fold line 916. Rather, the firstand second display areas 910, 912 extend up to the edge of the bendableportion 904. As a result, while both the first and second display areasmay have standard 4:3 aspects ratios, the aspect ratio of the entiredisplay will not be exactly 3:2 (as in the case of the display 102 ofFIG. 1) because there will be extra width arising from the width of thebendable portion 904. As a specific example, if the diagonal dimension918 of the first and second areas is 12 inches, the diagonal dimension920 of the full display 902 will be 17.3+X inches, where X depends onthe width of the third display area 914.

FIG. 10 shows the same first and second user interfaces 114, 116 shownin FIG. 2, rendered in the respective first and second display areas910, 912 of the display 902. As shown in the illustrated example, unlikein FIG. 2, the user interfaces 114, 116 in FIG. 10 do not extend intothe bendable portion 904. As a result, a user will not need to interactwith the bendable portion 904 of the display 902 when seeking tointeract with either of the user interfaces 114, 116. Accordingly, insome such examples, there is no need for a hover sensing system asdescribed above in connection with the example computing device 100 ofFIGS. 1-8. Further, in some examples the touch sensing system within thebendable portion 904 may be disabled or deactivated. In some examples,the bendable portion 904 may not include a touch sensing system. Asusers become aware that the ability to detect touch events in thebendable portion 904 is either disabled or omitted, the users will beless likely to attempt to touch the display 102 in the bendable portion904, thereby reducing the likelihood of damage to the device 100 in thatregion. While the display 102 may not be able to detect touch eventswithin the bendable portion 904, the display may nevertheless rendercontent within the bendable portion. Accordingly, the third userinterface 1002 is shown within the bendable portion 904 in theillustrated example of FIG. 10. In some such examples, the third userinterface 1002 includes non-interactive information that a user wouldnot seek to touch (e.g., date, time, logos, etc.). Further, in someexamples, the third user interface 1002 may include an indication ornotification that touch sensing capabilities are deactivated orunavailable in the bendable portion 904.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an implementation of an exampledisplay control system for the computing devices 100, 900 of FIGS. 1-10.However, for purposes of explanation, the following description isprovided with respect to the computing device 100 of FIGS. 1-8. Thedisplay control system 1100 includes an example configuration analyzer1102, an example user interface generator 1104, an example sensorcontroller 1106, an example sensor analyzer 1108, and an exampleoperations controller 1110.

In the illustrated example of FIG. 11, the example configurationanalyzer 1102 determines the physical configuration of the examplecomputing device 100. That is, in some examples, the configurationanalyzer 1102 determines when the device 100 is in an unfoldedconfiguration (as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 5, and 8) and when the device 100is in a folded configuration (as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 6, and 7). In someexamples, this determination is made based on feedback from one or moresensors associated with a hinge mechanism in the bendable portion 128 ofthe device. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, theconfiguration analyzer 1102 distinguishes between different types offolded configurations such as the book configuration (as shown in FIG.3) and the laptop configuration (as shown in FIG. 4). In some examples,the particular type of folded configuration is determined based onfeedback from an orientation sensor. In some examples, the configurationanalyzer 1102 may also determine the orientation of the device 100 whenin the unfolded configuration.

In the illustrated example of FIG. 11, the example user interfacegenerator 1104 generates user interface(s) to be displayed on thedisplay 102. In some examples, the user interface(s) are generated basedon the configuration information and/or the orientation informationprovided by the configuration analyzer 1102. In some examples, differentuser interfaces(s) and/or particular elements of the user interface(s)may differ depending on whether the device 100 is in the unfoldedconfiguration or a non-fat configuration. More particularly, in someexamples, the user interface generator 1104 may provide a touch-baseduser interface for display when the device is in the unfoldedconfiguration. In some examples, the touch-based user interface is astandard user interface that includes touch sensitive interactivecontent that may be positioned anywhere across the display 102. Further,in some examples, the user interface generator 1104 adjusts and/ormodifies the touch-based user interface within a region corresponding tothe bendable portion 128 of the device 100 when the device 100 is in thefolded configuration. Specifically, in some examples, the user interfacegenerator 1104 modifies the touch sensitive interactive content to havea different appearance (e.g., one that produces a 3D effect) indicativeof being hover sensitive interactive content. In this manner, users areable to understand that they may hover over the interactive contentwithout touching the display 102 to interact with the content. In someexamples, rather than modifying a touch-based user interface associatedwith the unfolded configuration, the user interface generator 1104 mayreplace the entire touch-based user interface with a hover-based userinterface that includes an indication of hover sensitive interactivecontent within the bendable portion 128. In some examples, there may bemore than one user interface generator 1104 to generate user interfacesfor different portions of the display 102 (e.g., a first user interfacegenerator to generate user interfaces for the first display area 104 anda second user interface generator to generate user interfaces for thesecond display area 106). In some examples, the user interface generator1104 includes, corresponds to, and/or operates in conjunction with thedisplay drivers 820, 822 of FIG. 8

In the illustrated example, the sensor controller 1106 controls theoperation of the touch sensing system and/or the hover sensing systemassociated with the display 102. As mentioned above, in some examples,the touch sensing system may include the hover sensing system. In otherexamples, the hover sensing system may be independent of the touchsensing system. In some such examples, the display control system 1100may include more than one sensor controller 1106. Additionally oralternatively, in some examples, multiple sensor controllers 1106 may beimplemented to control touch sensing systems and/or hover sensingsystems in different areas of the display 102. In some examples, thesensor controller 1106 includes, corresponds to, and/or operates inconjunction with the touch ICs 812, 814 of FIG. 8.

In the illustrated example, the sensor analyzer 1108 analyzes feedbackfrom the sensing systems controlled by the sensor controller 1106 todetermine when a hover event and/or a touch event has occurred.Furthermore, the example sensor analyzer 1108 determines the location ofthe detected hover event and/or the touch event on the display 102. Insome examples, the sensor analyzer 1108 determines an effect of thedetected hover event and/or touch event based on an analysis of thecontent on the user interface at the location of the hover event and/ortouch event. AS described above, in some examples, the way a touch eventand/or hover event are interpreted by the sensor analyzer 1108 dependson whether a hover event has been detected. When a hover event has beendetected, hover-based user interactions are assumed such that a touchand release and subsequent touch is not necessarily interpreted as twoseparate interactions but may be treated as a single user interaction.In some examples, the sensor analyzer determines whether multipletouches and releases are associated with a single user interaction ormultiple interactions associated with a hover event based on the context(e.g., the position, direction, and timing of the touches relative tothe bendable portion 128 as well as the size of the bendable portion 128and/or the radius of curvature of the bend within the bendable portion128). If no hover event has been detected, touch-based user interactionsare assumed such that the sensor analyzer 1108 treats each separatetouch and release of the display 102 as a separate user interaction.

In some examples, an output of the sensor analyzer 1108 (e.g.,indicating a touch event or a hover event) causes the user interfacegenerator 1104 to update and/or change the content rendered on thedisplay 102. In some examples, the user interface generator 1104 maymodify the user interface rendered on the display 102 in response to thedetection of a hover event within the bendable portion of the display.More particularly, in some examples, when a hover event is detected, theuser interface generator 1104 generates a notification that the hoverevent was detected. In some examples, the notification includes anindication of the location determined for the detected hover event.Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the detection of ahover event by the sensor analyzer 1108 may trigger other types of usernotifications (e.g., audible, haptic, etc.) to indicate the hover eventwas detected.

In the illustrated example, the operations controller 1110 controls theoperations of and interactions between the other elements of the displaycontrol system 1100 of FIG. 11 described above. Further, in someexamples, the operations controller 1110 enables interactions with othercomponents of the computing device 100. For instance, in some examples,the operations controller 1110 implements the audible and/or haptic usernotifications based on the output of the sensor analyzer 1108 asdescribed above. Further, in some examples, the operations controller1110 implements a suitable response to user interaction with the display102 detected by the sensor analyzer 1108.

While an example manner of implementing the display control system 1100of FIG. 11 is illustrated in FIG. 11, one or more of the elements,processes and/or devices illustrated in FIG. 11 may be combined,divided, re-arranged, omitted, eliminated and/or implemented in anyother way. Further, the example configuration analyzer 1102, the exampleuser interface generator 1104, the example sensor controller 1106, theexample sensor analyzer 1108, the example operations controller 1110,and/or, more generally, the example display control system 1100 of FIG.11 may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware and/or anycombination of hardware, software and/or firmware. Thus, for example,any of the example configuration analyzer 1102, the example userinterface generator 1104, the example sensor controller 1106, theexample sensor analyzer 1108, the example operations controller 1110and/or, more generally, the example display control system 1100 could beimplemented by one or more analog or digital circuit(s), logic circuits,programmable processor(s), programmable controller(s), graphicsprocessing unit(s) (GPU(s)), digital signal processor(s) (DSP(s)),application specific integrated circuit(s) (ASIC(s)), programmable logicdevice(s) (PLD(s)) and/or field programmable logic device(s) (FPLD(s)).When reading any of the apparatus or system claims of this patent tocover a purely software and/or firmware implementation, at least one ofthe example configuration analyzer 1102, the example user interfacegenerator 1104, the example sensor controller 1106, the example sensoranalyzer 1108, and/or the example operations controller 1110 is/arehereby expressly defined to include a non-transitory computer readablestorage device or storage disk such as a memory, a digital versatiledisk (DVD), a compact disk (CD), a Blu-ray disk, etc. including thesoftware and/or firmware. Further still, the example display controlsystem 1100 of FIG. 11 may include one or more elements, processesand/or devices in addition to, or instead of, those illustrated in FIG.11, and/or may include more than one of any or all of the illustratedelements, processes and devices. As used herein, the phrase “incommunication,” including variations thereof, encompasses directcommunication and/or indirect communication through one or moreintermediary components, and does not require direct physical (e.g.,wired) communication and/or constant communication, but ratheradditionally includes selective communication at periodic intervals,scheduled intervals, aperiodic intervals, and/or one-time events.

A flowchart representative of example hardware logic, machine readableinstructions, hardware implemented state machines, and/or anycombination thereof for implementing the display control system 1100 ofFIG. 11 is shown in FIG. 12. The machine readable instructions may beone or more executable programs or portion(s) of an executable programfor execution by a computer processor such as the processor 1312 shownin the example processor platform 1300 discussed below in connectionwith FIG. 13. The program may be embodied in software stored on anon-transitory computer readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, afloppy disk, a hard drive, a DVD, a Blu-ray disk, or a memory associatedwith the processor 1312, but the entire program and/or parts thereofcould alternatively be executed by a device other than the processor1312 and/or embodied in firmware or dedicated hardware. Further,although the example program is described with reference to theflowchart illustrated in FIG. 12, many other methods of implementing theexample display control system 1100 may alternatively be used. Forexample, the order of execution of the blocks may be changed, and/orsome of the blocks described may be changed, eliminated, or combined.Additionally or alternatively, any or all of the blocks may beimplemented by one or more hardware circuits (e.g., discrete and/orintegrated analog and/or digital circuitry, an FPGA, an ASIC, acomparator, an operational-amplifier (op-amp), a logic circuit, etc.)structured to perform the corresponding operation without executingsoftware or firmware.

The machine readable instructions described herein may be stored in oneor more of a compressed format, an encrypted format, a fragmentedformat, a compiled format, an executable format, a packaged format, etc.Machine readable instructions as described herein may be stored as data(e.g., portions of instructions, code, representations of code, etc.)that may be utilized to create, manufacture, and/or produce machineexecutable instructions. For example, the machine readable instructionsmay be fragmented and stored on one or more storage devices and/orcomputing devices (e.g., servers). The machine readable instructions mayrequire one or more of installation, modification, adaptation, updating,combining, supplementing, configuring, decryption, decompression,unpacking, distribution, reassignment, compilation, etc. in order tomake them directly readable, interpretable, and/or executable by acomputing device and/or other machine. For example, the machine readableinstructions may be stored in multiple parts, which are individuallycompressed, encrypted, and stored on separate computing devices, whereinthe parts when decrypted, decompressed, and combined form a set ofexecutable instructions that implement a program such as that describedherein.

In another example, the machine readable instructions may be stored in astate in which they may be read by a computer, but require addition of alibrary (e.g., a dynamic link library (DLL)), a software development kit(SDK), an application programming interface (API), etc. in order toexecute the instructions on a particular computing device or otherdevice. In another example, the machine readable instructions may needto be configured (e.g., settings stored, data input, network addressesrecorded, etc.) before the machine readable instructions and/or thecorresponding program(s) can be executed in whole or in part. Thus, thedisclosed machine readable instructions and/or corresponding program(s)are intended to encompass such machine readable instructions and/orprogram(s) regardless of the particular format or state of the machinereadable instructions and/or program(s) when stored or otherwise at restor in transit.

The machine readable instructions described herein can be represented byany past, present, or future instruction language, scripting language,programming language, etc. For example, the machine readableinstructions may be represented using any of the following languages: C,C++, Java, C#, Perl, Python, JavaScript, HyperText Markup Language(HTML), Structured Query Language (SQL), Swift, etc.

As mentioned above, the example processes of FIG. 12 may be implementedusing executable instructions (e.g., computer and/or machine readableinstructions) stored on a non-transitory computer and/or machinereadable medium such as a hard disk drive, a flash memory, a read-onlymemory, a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a cache, arandom-access memory and/or any other storage device or storage disk inwhich information is stored for any duration (e.g., for extended timeperiods, permanently, for brief instances, for temporarily buffering,and/or for caching of the information). As used herein, the termnon-transitory computer readable medium is expressly defined to includeany type of computer readable storage device and/or storage disk and toexclude propagating signals and to exclude transmission media.

“Including” and “comprising” (and all forms and tenses thereof) are usedherein to be open ended terms. Thus, whenever a claim employs any formof “include” or “comprise” (e.g., comprises, includes, comprising,including, having, etc.) as a preamble or within a claim recitation ofany kind, it is to be understood that additional elements, terms, etc.may be present without falling outside the scope of the correspondingclaim or recitation. As used herein, when the phrase “at least” is usedas the transition term in, for example, a preamble of a claim, it isopen-ended in the same manner as the term “comprising” and “including”are open ended. The term “and/or” when used, for example, in a form suchas A, B, and/or C refers to any combination or subset of A, B, C such as(1) A alone, (2) B alone, (3) C alone, (4) A with B, (5) A with C, (6) Bwith C, and (7) A with B and with C. As used herein in the context ofdescribing structures, components, items, objects and/or things, thephrase “at least one of A and B” is intended to refer to implementationsincluding any of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, and (3) atleast one A and at least one B. Similarly, as used herein in the contextof describing structures, components, items, objects and/or things, thephrase “at least one of A or B” is intended to refer to implementationsincluding any of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, and (3) atleast one A and at least one B. As used herein in the context ofdescribing the performance or execution of processes, instructions,actions, activities and/or steps, the phrase “at least one of A and B”is intended to refer to implementations including any of (1) at leastone A, (2) at least one B, and (3) at least one A and at least one B.Similarly, as used herein in the context of describing the performanceor execution of processes, instructions, actions, activities and/orsteps, the phrase “at least one of A or B” is intended to refer toimplementations including any of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B,and (3) at least one A and at least one B.

As used herein, singular references (e.g., “a”, “an”, “first”, “second”,etc.) do not exclude a plurality. The term “a” or “an” entity, as usedherein, refers to one or more of that entity. The terms “a” (or “an”),“one or more”, and “at least one” can be used interchangeably herein.Furthermore, although individually listed, a plurality of means,elements or method actions may be implemented by, e.g., a single unit orprocessor. Additionally, although individual features may be included indifferent examples or claims, these may possibly be combined, and theinclusion in different examples or claims does not imply that acombination of features is not feasible and/or advantageous.

The program of FIG. 12 begins at block 1202 where the exampleconfiguration analyzer 1102 determines whether the computing device 100is folded or unfolded. That is, the example configuration analyzer 1102determines whether the device 100 is in an unfolded configuration or afolded configuration. If the device is unfolded, control advances toblock 1204 where the example user interface generator 1104 renders auser interface with an indication of touch sensitive interactivecontent. At block 1206, the example sensor analyzer 1108 monitors thetouch sensing system for a touch event. Thereafter, control advances toblock 1242.

Returning to block 1202, if the example configuration analyzer 1102determines that the computing device 100 is folded, control advances toblock 1208. The example program of FIG. 12 assumes that the hingemechanism within the bendable portion 128 of the device 100 providesadequate support to the display 102 when in the unfolded configurationto allow a user to touch the display within the bendable portion 128without appreciable risk of damage to the display such that hoversensing is unnecessary. If, however, hover sensing is to be employedregardless of the configuration of the device 100, then blocks 1202-1206may be omitted with the example program beginning at block 1208. Atblock 1208, the example user interface generator 1104 renders a userinterface with an indication of hover sensitive interactive contentwithin the bendable portion of the display 102. At block 1210, theexample sensor analyzer 1108 monitors the hover sensing system for ahover event. At block 1212, the example sensor analyzer 1108 monitorsthe touch sensing system for a touch event.

At block 1214, the example sensor analyzer 1108 determines whether ahover event is detected. If so, control advances to block 1216 where theexample user interface generator 1104 and/or the operations controller1110 generate a notification to the user indicating the detection of thehover event. Thereafter, control advances to block 1218. Returning toblock 1214, if no hove event is detected, control advances directly toblock 1242.

At block 1218, the example sensor analyzer 1108 determines whether thehover event indicates user intent for some response. That is, theexample sensor analyzer 1108 determines whether the object detected ascausing the user event (e.g., the user's finger, a stylus, etc.) ishovering over the display 102 to interact with content rendered on thedisplay or is merely passing over the display. If the sensor analyzer1108 determines the hover event indicates a user intent for someresponse, control advances to block 1220 where the example operationscontroller 1110 implements the response to the hover event. Thereafter,control advances to block 1222. Returning to block 1218, if there is noindication of user intent for some response, control advances directlyto block 1222.

At block 1222, the example sensor analyzer 1108 determines whether atouch event has been detected. If so, control advances to block 1224where the example operations controller 1110 implements a response tothe touch event. Thereafter, control advances to block 1226. If, atblock 1222, the sensor analyzer determines that no touch event has beendetected, control advances directly to block 1226. At block 1226, theexample program determines whether to continue. If so, control returnsto block 1202. Otherwise, the example program of FIG. 12 ends.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an example processor platform 1300structured to execute the instructions of FIG. 12 to implement thedisplay control system 1100 of FIG. 11. The processor platform 1300 canbe, for example, a server, a personal computer, a workstation, aself-learning machine (e.g., a neural network), a mobile device (e.g., acell phone, a smart phone, a tablet such as an iPad™), a personaldigital assistant (PDA), an Internet appliance, or any other type ofcomputing device.

The processor platform 1300 of the illustrated example includes aprocessor 1312. The processor 1312 of the illustrated example ishardware. For example, the processor 1312 can be implemented by one ormore integrated circuits, logic circuits, microprocessors, GPUs, DSPs,or controllers from any desired family or manufacturer. The hardwareprocessor may be a semiconductor based (e.g., silicon based) device. Inthis example, the processor implements the example configurationanalyzer 1102, the example user interface generator 1104, the examplesensor controller 1106, the example sensor analyzer 1108, and theexample operations controller 1110.

The processor 1312 of the illustrated example includes a local memory1313 (e.g., a cache). The processor 1312 of the illustrated example isin communication with a main memory including a volatile memory 1314 anda non-volatile memory 1316 via a bus 1318. The volatile memory 1314 maybe implemented by Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM),Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), RAMBUS® Dynamic Random AccessMemory (RDRAM®) and/or any other type of random access memory device.The non-volatile memory 1316 may be implemented by flash memory and/orany other desired type of memory device. Access to the main memory 1314,1316 is controlled by a memory controller.

The processor platform 1300 of the illustrated example also includes aninterface circuit 1320. The interface circuit 1320 may be implemented byany type of interface standard, such as an Ethernet interface, auniversal serial bus (USB), a Bluetooth® interface, a near fieldcommunication (NFC) interface, and/or a PCI express interface.

In the illustrated example, one or more input devices 1322 are connectedto the interface circuit 1320. The input device(s) 1322 permit(s) a userto enter data and/or commands into the processor 1312. The inputdevice(s) can be implemented by, for example, an audio sensor, amicrophone, a camera (still or video), a keyboard, a button, a mouse, atouchscreen, a track-pad, a trackball, isopoint and/or a voicerecognition system.

One or more output devices 1324 are also connected to the interfacecircuit 1320 of the illustrated example. The output devices 1324 can beimplemented, for example, by display devices (e.g., a light emittingdiode (LED), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), a cathode ray tube display (CRT), an in-place switching(IPS) display, a touchscreen, etc.), a tactile output device, a printerand/or speaker. The interface circuit 1320 of the illustrated example,thus, typically includes a graphics driver card, a graphics driver chipand/or a graphics driver processor.

The interface circuit 1320 of the illustrated example also includes acommunication device such as a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver, amodem, a residential gateway, a wireless access point, and/or a networkinterface to facilitate exchange of data with external machines (e.g.,computing devices of any kind) via a network 1326. The communication canbe via, for example, an Ethernet connection, a digital subscriber line(DSL) connection, a telephone line connection, a coaxial cable system, asatellite system, a line-of-site wireless system, a cellular telephonesystem, etc.

The processor platform 1300 of the illustrated example also includes oneor more mass storage devices 1328 for storing software and/or data.Examples of such mass storage devices 1328 include floppy disk drives,hard drive disks, compact disk drives, Blu-ray disk drives, redundantarray of independent disks (RAID) systems, and digital versatile disk(DVD) drives.

The machine executable instructions 1332 of FIG. 12 may be stored in themass storage device 1328, in the volatile memory 1314, in thenon-volatile memory 1316, and/or on a removable non-transitory computerreadable storage medium such as a CD or DVD.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that example methods,apparatus and articles of manufacture have been disclosed that preservethe integrity of a foldable touchscreen and/or associated hingemechanisms within a bendable portion of the device from damage due toforceful touching of the bendable portion of the display. This isachieved by enabling hover sensing within the bendable portion of thedisplay to enable a user to interact with the display without touchingit. In some examples, the hover sensing system is limited to thebendable portion to reduce manufacturing costs and also to reduce powerand/or processing requirements to operate the display. The disclosedmethods, apparatus and articles of manufacture are accordingly directedto one or more improvement(s) in the functioning of a computer.

Example methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture tofacilitate user interactions with foldable displays are disclosedherein. Further examples and combinations thereof include the following:

Example 1 includes a computing device comprising a foldable displayhaving a first region, a second region, and a bendable region betweenthe first and second regions, a hover sensing system associated with thebendable region to detect a hover event, a touch sensing systemassociated with at least one of the first region or the second region todetect a touch event, and an operations controller to implement anaction on the computing device responsive to at least one of the hoverevent or the touch event.

Example 2 includes the computing device of example 1, wherein the touchsensing system includes the hover sensing system.

Example 3 includes the computing device of example 1, wherein the hoversensing system is separate from the touch sensing system.

Example 4 includes the computing device of any one of examples 1-3,wherein the display includes a first display area associated with thefirst region and a second display area associated with the secondregion.

Example 5 includes the computing device of example 4, wherein the firstdisplay area shares a common border with the second display area, theborder included within the bendable region of the display.

Example 6 includes the computing device of example 4, wherein thedisplay includes a third display area associated with the bendableregion, the third display area separating the first display area and thesecond display area.

Example 7 includes the computing device of any one of examples 4-6,further including a first touch IC to control at least one of the hoversensing system or the touch sensing system in the first display area,and a second touch IC to control at least one of the hover sensingsystem or the touch sensing system in the second display area.

Example 8 includes the computing device of any one of examples 4-7,further including a first display driver to control content rendered inthe first display area, and a second display driver to control contentrendered in the second display area.

Example 9 includes the computing device of any one of examples 4-8,wherein at least one of the hover sensing system or the touch sensingsystem includes an array of transmitters extending across the display ina first direction and an array of receivers extending across the displayin a second direction, the first display area adjacent the seconddisplay area in the second direction, ones of the receivers extendingacross the first display area without extending across the seconddisplay area.

Example 10 includes the computing device of any one of examples 1-9,further including a user interface generator to render interactivecontent on the display, the interactive content having a firstappearance in the first region and a second different appearance in thebendable region.

Example 11 includes the computing device of any one of examples 1-10,further including a user interface generator to render a graphical userinterface on the display, and in response to the hover sensing systemdetecting the hover event, modify a portion of the graphical userinterface corresponding to a location where the hover event wasdetected.

Example 12 includes the computing device of any one of examples 1-11,further including a configuration analyzer to determine whether thecomputing device is in a folded configuration or an unfoldedconfiguration, and a sensor controller to activate the hover sensingsystem when the computing device is in the folded configuration and todeactivate the hover sensing system when the computing device is in theunfolded configuration.

Example 13 includes an apparatus comprising a sensor analyzer to detecta hover event via a hover sensing system included within a first regionof a foldable display of a computing device, and detect a touch eventvia a touch sensing system included within a second region of thedisplay separate from the first region, the second region spaced apartfrom the hover sensing system, and an operations controller to implementan action on the computing device responsive to at least one of thehover event or the touch event.

Example 14 includes the apparatus of example 13, wherein the touchsensing system is included within the first region of the display.

Example 15 includes the apparatus of example 14, wherein the touchsensing system includes the hover sensing system.

Example 16 includes the apparatus of example 14, wherein the hoversensing system is separate from the touch sensing system.

Example 17 includes the apparatus of any one of examples 13-16, whereinthe first region corresponds to a bendable portion of the computingdevice and the second region corresponds to a rigid portion of thecomputing device.

Example 18 includes the apparatus of example 17, wherein the displayincludes a first display area and a second display area, the displayfoldable along the bendable portion such that the first display areafaces the second display area.

Example 19 includes the apparatus of example 18, wherein the firstdisplay area shares a common border with the second display area, theborder included within the bendable portion of the display.

Example 20 includes the apparatus of example 18, wherein the displayincludes a third display area separating the first display area and thesecond display area, the bendable portion of the display included withinthe third display area.

Example 21 includes the apparatus of any one of examples 18-20, whereinat least one of the hover sensing system or the touch sensing system inthe first display area is controlled using a first touch IC and at leastone of the hover sensing system or the touch sensing system in thesecond display area is controlled using a second touch IC different thanthe first touch IC.

Example 22 includes the apparatus of any one of examples 18-21, whereina first display driver is associated with the first display area and asecond display driver, different than the first display driver, isassociated with the second display area.

Example 23 includes the apparatus of any one of examples 18-22, whereinat least one of the hover sensing system or the touch sensing systemincludes an array of transmitters extending across the display in afirst direction and an array of receivers extending across the displayin a second direction, the first display area adjacent the seconddisplay area in the second direction, ones of the receivers extendingacross the first display area without extending across the seconddisplay area.

Example 24 includes the apparatus of any one of examples 13-23, furtherincluding a user interface generator to render interactive content onthe display, the interactive content having a first appearance in thefirst region and a second different appearance in the second region.

Example 25 includes the apparatus of any one of examples 13-24, furtherincluding a user interface generator to render a graphical userinterface on the display, and in response to the sensor analyzerdetecting the hover event, modify a portion of the graphical userinterface corresponding to a location where the hover event wasdetected.

Example 26 includes the apparatus of any one of examples 13-25, furtherincluding a configuration analyzer to determine whether the computingdevice is in a folded configuration or an unfolded configuration, and asensor controller to activate the hover sensing system when thecomputing device is in the folded configuration and to deactivate thehover sensing system when the computing device is in the unfoldedconfiguration.

Example 27 includes a non-transitory computer readable medium comprisinginstructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least detect ahover event via a hover sensing system included within a first region ofa foldable display of a computing device, detect a touch event via atouch sensing system included within a second region of the displayseparate from the first region, the second region spaced apart from thehover sensing system, and implement an action on the computing deviceresponsive to at least one of the hover event or the touch event.

Example 28 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium ofexample 27, wherein the touch sensing system is included within thefirst region of the display.

Example 29 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium ofexample 28, wherein the touch sensing system includes the hover sensingsystem.

Example 30 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium ofexample 28, wherein the hover sensing system is separate from the touchsensing system.

Example 31 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of anyone of examples 27-30, wherein the first region corresponds to abendable portion of the computing device and the second regioncorresponds to a rigid portion of the computing device.

Example 32 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium ofexample 31, wherein the display includes a first display area and asecond display area, the display foldable along the bendable portionsuch that the first display area faces the second display area.

Example 33 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium ofexample 32, wherein the first display area shares a common border withthe second display area, the border included within the bendable portionof the display.

Example 34 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium ofexample 32, wherein the display includes a third display area separatingthe first display area and the second display area, the bendable portionof the display included within the third display area.

Example 35 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of anyone of examples 32-34, wherein at least one of the hover sensing systemor the touch sensing system in the first display area is controlledusing a first touch IC and at least one of the hover sensing system orthe touch sensing system in the second display area is controlled usinga second touch IC different than the first touch IC.

Example 36 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of anyone of examples 32-35, wherein a first display driver is associated withthe first display area and a second display driver, different than thefirst display driver, is associated with the second display area.

Example 37 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of anyone of examples 32-36, wherein at least one of the hover sensing systemor the touch sensing system includes an array of transmitters extendingacross the display in a first direction and an array of receiversextending across the display in a second direction, the first displayarea adjacent the second display area in the second direction, ones ofthe receivers extending across the first display area without extendingacross the second display area.

Example 38 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of anyone of examples 27-37, wherein the instructions further cause themachine to render interactive content on the display, the interactivecontent having a first appearance in the first region and a seconddifferent appearance in the second region.

Example 39 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of anyone of examples 27-38, wherein the instructions further cause themachine to render a graphical user interface on the display, and inresponse to detection of the hover event, modify a portion of thegraphical user interface corresponding to a location where the hoverevent was detected.

Example 40 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of anyone of examples 27-39, wherein the instructions further cause themachine to determine whether the computing device is in a foldedconfiguration or an unfolded configuration, activate the hover sensingsystem when the computing device is in the folded configuration, anddeactivate the hover sensing system when the computing device is in theunfolded configuration.

Example 41 includes a method comprising detecting, by executing aninstruction with a processor, a hover event via a hover sensing systemincluded within a first region of a foldable display of a computingdevice, detecting, by executing an instruction with the processor, atouch event via a touch sensing system included within a second regionof the display separate from the first region, the second region spacedapart from the hover sensing system, and implementing an action on thecomputing device responsive to at least one of the hover event or thetouch event.

Example 42 includes the method of example 41, wherein the touch sensingsystem is included within the first region of the display.

Example 43 includes the method of example 42, wherein the touch sensingsystem includes the hover sensing system.

Example 44 includes the method of example 42, wherein the hover sensingsystem is separate from the touch sensing system.

Example 45 includes the method of any one of examples 41-44, wherein thefirst region corresponds to a bendable portion of the computing deviceand the second region corresponds to a rigid portion of the computingdevice.

Example 46 includes the method of example 45, wherein the displayincludes a first display area and a second display area, the displayfoldable along the bendable portion such that the first display areafaces the second display area.

Example 47 includes the method of example 46, wherein the first displayarea shares a common border with the second display area, the borderincluded within the bendable portion of the display.

Example 48 includes the method of example 46, wherein the displayincludes a third display area separating the first display area and thesecond display area, the bendable portion of the display included withinthe third display area.

Example 49 includes the method of any one of examples 46-48, wherein atleast one of the hover sensing system or the touch sensing system in thefirst display area is controlled using a first touch IC and at least oneof the hover sensing system or the touch sensing system in the seconddisplay area is controlled using a second touch IC different than thefirst touch IC.

Example 50 includes the method of any one of examples 46-49, wherein afirst display driver is associated with the first display area and asecond display driver, different than the first display driver, isassociated with the second display area.

Example 51 includes the method of any one of examples 46-50, wherein atleast one of the hover sensing system or the touch sensing systemincludes an array of transmitters extending across the display in afirst direction and an array of receivers extending across the displayin a second direction, the first display area adjacent the seconddisplay area in the second direction, ones of the receivers extendingacross the first display area without extending across the seconddisplay area.

Example 52 includes the method of any one of examples 41-51, furtherincluding rendering interactive content on the display, the interactivecontent having a first appearance in the first region and a seconddifferent appearance in the second region.

Example 53 includes the method of any one of examples 41-52, furtherincluding rendering a graphical user interface on the display, and inresponse to detection of the hover event, modifying a portion of thegraphical user interface corresponding to a location where the hoverevent was detected.

Example 54 includes the method of any one of examples 41-53, furtherincluding determining whether the computing device is in a foldedconfiguration or an unfolded configuration, activating the hover sensingsystem when the computing device is in the folded configuration, anddeactivating the hover sensing system when the computing device is inthe unfolded configuration.

Although certain example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacturehave been disclosed herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is notlimited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods,apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope ofthe claims of this patent.

The following claims are hereby incorporated into this DetailedDescription by this reference, with each claim standing on its own as aseparate embodiment of the present disclosure.

1. A computing device comprising: a foldable display having a first region, a second region, and a bendable region between the first and second regions; a hover sensing system associated with the bendable region to detect a hover event; a touch sensing system associated with at least one of the first region or the second region to detect a touch event; and an operations controller to implement an action on the computing device responsive to at least one of the hover event or the touch event.
 2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the touch sensing system includes the hover sensing system.
 3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the hover sensing system is separate from the touch sensing system.
 4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the display includes a first display area associated with the first region and a second display area associated with the second region.
 5. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the first display area shares a common border with the second display area, the border included within the bendable region of the display.
 6. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the display includes a third display area associated with the bendable region, the third display area separating the first display area and the second display area.
 7. The computing device of claim 4, further including: a first touch IC to control at least one of the hover sensing system or the touch sensing system in the first display area; and a second touch IC to control at least one of the hover sensing system or the touch sensing system in the second display area.
 8. The computing device of claim 4, further including: a first display driver to control content rendered in the first display area; and a second display driver to control content rendered in the second display area.
 9. The computing device of claim 4, wherein at least one of the hover sensing system or the touch sensing system includes an array of transmitters extending across the display in a first direction and an array of receivers extending across the display in a second direction, the first display area adjacent the second display area in the second direction, ones of the receivers extending across the first display area without extending across the second display area.
 10. The computing device of claim 1, further including a user interface generator to render interactive content on the display, the interactive content having a first appearance in the first region and a second different appearance in the bendable region.
 11. The computing device of claim 1, further including a user interface generator to: render a graphical user interface on the display; and in response to the hover sensing system detecting the hover event, modify a portion of the graphical user interface corresponding to a location where the hover event was detected.
 12. The computing device of claim 1, further including: a configuration analyzer to determine whether the computing device is in a folded configuration or an unfolded configuration; and a sensor controller to activate the hover sensing system when the computing device is in the folded configuration and to deactivate the hover sensing system when the computing device is in the unfolded configuration.
 13. An apparatus comprising: a sensor analyzer to: detect a hover event via a hover sensing system included within a first region of a foldable display of a computing device; and detect a touch event via a touch sensing system included within a second region of the display separate from the first region, the second region spaced apart from the hover sensing system; and an operations controller to implement an action on the computing device responsive to at least one of the hover event or the touch event.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the touch sensing system is included within the first region of the display.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the touch sensing system includes the hover sensing system.
 16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the hover sensing system is separate from the touch sensing system.
 17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first region corresponds to a bendable portion of the computing device and the second region corresponds to a rigid portion of the computing device. 18-25. (canceled)
 26. The apparatus of claim 13, further including: a configuration analyzer to determine whether the computing device is in a folded configuration or an unfolded configuration; and a sensor controller to activate the hover sensing system when the computing device is in the folded configuration and to deactivate the hover sensing system when the computing device is in the unfolded configuration.
 27. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least: detect a hover event via a hover sensing system included within a first region of a foldable display of a computing device; detect a touch event via a touch sensing system included within a second region of the display separate from the first region, the second region spaced apart from the hover sensing system; and implement an action on the computing device responsive to at least one of the hover event or the touch event. 28-30. (canceled)
 31. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the first region corresponds to a bendable portion of the computing device and the second region corresponds to a rigid portion of the computing device.
 32. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein the display includes a first display area and a second display area, the display foldable along the bendable portion such that the first display area faces the second display area.
 33. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 32, wherein the first display area shares a common border with the second display area, the border included within the bendable portion of the display. 34-37. (canceled)
 38. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to render interactive content on the display, the interactive content having a first appearance in the first region and a second different appearance in the second region.
 39. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to: render a graphical user interface on the display; and in response to detection of the hover event, modify a portion of the graphical user interface corresponding to a location where the hover event was detected. 40-54. (canceled) 